Liverpool have confirmed their first signing of the January transfer window.

The Reds have signed young Serbian midfielder Marko Grujic , who will join from Red Star Belgrade.

At 19, he looks likely to be one for the future at Anfield... but according to Balkan football expert Sasa Ibrulj, Grujic has plenty to offer.

Here, he runs through the player's strengths, weaknesses and plenty more besides:

Background

Having been at the club since the age of nine, Grujic is Red Star Belgrade through and through. He impressed while playing for their youth team, but even though he was introduced to senior football at 17, there were some doubts over his ability to make it to the very top. He managed ten starts in two years for Red Star before being sent to second-tier minnows Kolubara on loan.

Last summer Grujic won the Under-20 World Cup with Serbia. He made four substitute appearances and started against Hungary in the round of 16, but watched the final match against Brazil from the bench.

At the same time, Red Star – a club burdened with debts of around €40million – were forced to sell some of their first team regulars. That helped Grujic, who became a first-team regular and fan favourite when he returned to the Rajko Mitic stadium.

With Grujic their driving force in midfield, the Belgrade side finished 2015 unbeaten in the league, with 20 wins in 22 matches and with a 25-point cushion over second-placed Cukaricki.

Early start: Grujic was fast-tracked into the senior side (Image: Getty)

Style and strengths

At 192cm tall, Grujic is an unorthodox midfielder, both strong on the ball and blessed with very good pace. He is a genuine box-to-box player, often compared with likes of Nemanja Matic or Paul Pogba . Some have even branded him the Serbian Steven Gerrard .

His calmness and sangfroid make him seem more experienced than his 19 years would suggest. The combination of good passing ability, fine vision, work-rate and athleticism makes him a versatile operator who can play deep – as he did for Red Star – but can also do a job behind the attackers as well. With a powerful and precise shoot, he also has an eye for goal.

Up for the cup: Grujic (number 16) won the Under-20 World Cup with Serbia (Image: Alex Livesey - FIFA)

Weaknesses

Grujic may be one of the most talented players in the Balkans at the moment, but he has almost no international experience on senior level. He may have U20 World Cup and Serbian championship medals to his name, but so far Grujic has made only 31 starts in professional football.

Red Star were knocked out of Europe after only one match this season, which means Grujic is yet to be tested on the big stage.

All-rounder: Grujic is versatile and full of energy (Image: Hannah Peters)

How will he fit in at Liverpool?

That actually leads us to another question that must be answered first – when he will be introduced to the Liverpool team? There has been talk of him being loaned straight back to Red Star, but it could be that Jurgen Klopp wants to work with him straight away.

The change from the Serbian Super Liga (average attendance: 2583) to the Premier League will be anything but easy for a 19-year-old boy. However, he has dealt well with being at the heart of a long-running transfer saga and looks like someone who is able to deal with pressure.

The good thing for Grujic is that he will have someone to rely on. Klopp's right-hand man, Zeljko Buvac, is a Bosnian Serb, whose influence may have been crucial in Grujic’s decision to choose Liverpool over other offers.

Did you know?

Marko's father, Goran, who now takes care of his son's career, used to be a sports journalist and editor-in-chief at one of the biggest Serbian newspapers.